The current epidemic of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) has heightened awareness of the need to protect health care professionals from contact with the bodily fluids of a person infected with AIDS. Health care professionals typically use gloves and other protective devices to prevent direct contact with the blood and other bodily fluids of a patient.
A commonly used medical procedure involves the insertion of a catheter tube into a patient's body. The catheter tube may be connected to an external tube for intravenous fluid therapy in treating patients. The catheter insertion procedure typically involves inserting a needle (i.e., stylet) through the catheter tube so that the sharp end of the stylet penetrates the patient's skin. The catheter tube is inserted through an opening in the skin made by the stylet and into the patient's vein. The stylet is then withdrawn back through the catheter tube, leaving the catheter tube in the patient's vein.
The removal of the stylet draws a small amount of the patient's blood back through the catheter tube. Therefore, blood may spurt forth from the catheter tube when the stylet is completely removed therefrom. The blood flowing through the catheter tube may come in contact with the health care professional administering the catheter, as well as other persons nearby.
There is therefore a need in the health care industry for an apparatus to inhibit the escape of blood from a catheter tube.